The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-06-21
TO EXONERATE DEMAREST.
The DirectreSSeS of the New
York Orphan Asylum
TO Hold an In
yestigatiOn.

New York June 1.-THE Board Of
Directors of the New York Orphan Asylum
yesterday made an investigation OF the
charges of cruelty against Supt. Demarest,
as set forth by the children and others in
The World of Sunday. There were present
Mrs. Jonathan O'Dell, First Directress OF
the asylum: Miss Belle Mathews, Mrs.
WoOlsey Rogers, Miss Janet L. Sherman,
Mrs. Edward Mitchell, Mrs. {. NOurse,
Mrs. F. W. DOwner and Mrs. F. lie Roy
Satterlee. Miss Julia Carbon, who is en-
ploy.d a. a seamstreSs, said she had work
ed al the asylum four years, and that
during that time she had never known of
any case of extreme punishment. She
saw good deal of the boys, but they
never complained of being whipped. She
never heard of any child being hit across
the face with strap, but she once saw
mark on the face OF boy named Vass.
She never heard child say anything
against the Superintendent. Miss Marie
A., Berner, a teacher of the younger boys,
gave similar testimony. The teachers, she
said, are not allowed to infict corporal
punishment. She believed that Mr.
Knight, the discharged caretaker exercis-
ed bad influence over the boys, as he
taught them, by example, TO call her
''Berner" and the Superintendent "Demar-
est" without the prefix OF Miss or Nh.
Statements were also taken from Miss
Sarah f. Batcheller, teacher of the big
boys, and Mary L. Sheldon, teacher of the
big girls. Both denied that there was any
cruelty placticed on the children.
Miss Annie Scott Is the "sick-nurse" at
the asylum, and it Is part of her duty to
bandaee up bruises and put sticking plast-
er on cuts. She said the nearest she had
known of case of severe punishment was
when a boy. named Henry Lesher, was
brought in to have sticking plaster applied.
As she understood matters. he had been
Knight. They begun In Jun, but the boy
hurt Knight and the carelaker lost his
temper and stamped ON his face.
Robert Morrison, ,Or ten years an engi-
neer at the asylum, said that the boys were
more restless and dissatisfied now than he
bad known them before. 1t generally came
on In streaks. They went about ana called
their playrOOm prison and even marked
il on the windows Mr.. Morrison said that
when ne read in The World about the boys
calling MIR. Demarest the bulldog" he in
quired of one boy If i; were true. He was
told that the boys had been In the habit OF
calling the Superintendent bad names
among themselves. In relation to extreme
Mr.. Morrison said he did not
know of an instance where it had been in
hicted by Supt. Demarest. He had heard
Of the story OF whipping all the boys in the
dOrmitOry. He had seen the wound on the
boys face and had understood that il was
made by knight. The boy, who has since
left the asylum and gone West, told him
that Knight knocked him down and
on him.
The strap and the bell-rope mentioned
as the ins ruments OF punishment used by
the Superintendent were inquired into.
The strap is of leather, about ten inches
long by a half inca wide. The bell-rope is
4 leather cord as big around as a mans
inger. The strap, Mr.. Demarest says. he
uses. In regard to the bell
rope, he says he heard that Knight used it
On boy one day, and so he took it into
his office to get it out of his way. He did
not remember ever having used it to pun
sh boy. Superintent Demarest further
said:
"The boy Lesher, who, it now turns out,
vas injured by knight, l questioned my
,elf with reference 10 the wounds on his
lace. He told me he got them by fall.
There was boy named Quinn, whom l
struck in the face by accident. He's here
yet. was taking the place of caretaker
)ne day and he was disobedient. / went
10 hit him on the shoulder and he ducked
MS head sideways and caught it on the
ACE. i didn't know that it left a mark
That is the only Boy / ever struck in the
ace"
The directors said yesterday that they
we're satisfied with Mr.. Democrats explain
atom.